Situation in Luxembourg

Current situation

In Luxembourg, radon accounts for around one third of the population's exposure to natural ionising radiation. Radon could be a factor in 5 to 10 % of lung cancer cases, which equates to up to 20 cases per year in Luxembourg.

National action plans for radon

To mitigate the long-term risks associated with exposure to radon, a new government programme entitled 'National action plan to reduce radon concentration levels' (Plan d’action national pour la réduction des concentrations du radon) was adopted in Luxembourg in November 2017, following the implementation of the recommendations contained in European Directive 2013/59 Euratom issued in late 2013. This Directive contains detailed provisions on radon levels inside buildings. It was transposed into national law in 2019. As a result, a national reference level for indoor radon concentrations in both private homes and in workplaces in Luxembourg was set at 300 Bq/m³.

The second national action plan (2021-2028) sets out the steps to be taken by the Luxembourg government over the period from 2021 to 2028 in relation to exposure to radon. The ultimate goal remains unchanged, i.e. to reduce the population's exposure by tackling the following priorities:

• prevention when constructing new builds,
• reduction in housing where radon concentrations are very high,
• identification and remedying of workplaces where concentrations exceed the national reference level.

Radon Map

The radon map for Luxembourg was updated compared with the version published in the early 1990s. It is still essentially based on data from private homes. The new map published in 2016 can be used to pinpoint 'priority' zones. For simplification purposes, three categories have been retained:

• areas where less than 1 % of homes have concentrations in excess of 300 Bq/m³;
• areas where between 1 and 5 % of homes have concentrations in excess of 300 Bq/m³;
• areas where 5 % of homes have concentrations in excess of 300 Bq/m³.

Based on the measures introduced to date, it is estimated that between 5 and 10 % of all houses could exceed the new reference level. This led to the creation of a map showing different radon zones. It should be noted that the reference level should not be considered as a limit value, but rather as an action level, above which optimisation and remedial measures are recommended. A more detailed map showing the average radon figures by municipality is available on the Geoportail website.